The renowned Japanese developer Tomonobu Itagaki, creator of the franchises Dead or Alive and Ninja Gaiden for Koei Tecmo, he died at 58 years old. The news was confirmed on October 16 through a posthumous message posted on his official Facebook account, written and shared by a loved one on his behalf.
In the message, titled “Final Words”, Itagaki expressed his farewell with a direct and reflective tone about his career and life. The statement said the following:
“The flame of my life is about to go out. The fact that this message has been posted means that my time has finally come. I'm not in this world anymore. (I have entrusted this final message to someone important to me).
My life was a continuous battle that I continued to win. I also caused a lot of problems for others. I am proud to have fought until the end and to have followed my convictions. I have no regrets, but I deeply regret not being able to deliver new works to my fans.
I'm sorry. That's life.”
– Tomonobu Itagaki
Itagaki was one of the most influential figures in Japanese development in the 1990s and 2000s. Joined Koei Tecmo Games (then Tecmo) in the nineties, where he played a key role in the creation of Dead or Alive, a reference in fighting games for its technical style and the introduction of advanced physics in its time. He also revitalized the franchise Ninja Gaiden with its successful reboot for Xbox in 2004, recognized for its difficulty and combat design.
After leaving Tecmo, he founded Valhalla Game Studios in 2008, where he worked on the title Devil's Third for Wii U. Later in January 2021, he established his own independent studio, Itagaki Games, with the aim of developing new intellectual properties for PC and consoles.
His legacy remains one of the most notable in modern Japanese video game history, marked by his bold style, his focus on challenging gameplay, and his strong personality within the industry.
